Please note, this is an archive news article from Peace Hospice Care.
Tuesday, 01 November 2022
Simanga is a social worker at the Hospice who works across our Inpatient Unit and Outpatient services, having joined the team in September 2022. She discusses the role and why it’s a vital part of the overall care we offer our patients and their families.
“We are here to provide psychosocial and emotional support for our patients and their families, friends and carers – in our Inpatient Unit and as outpatients. We are always there to give support if it is required. We know those living with a life-limiting illness will face difficult times, and that is why it is so important to have social workers who have the skills to provide important emotional support as part of the holistic care we offer our patients.
In the Unit, when a new patient is admitted, we give them a day to settle in with the doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants, and then the next day we will go in and get to know them. We introduce ourselves – who we are and give them an idea of some of the ways we can help them. We also signpost to external services if patients need something else outside of their hospice care. We let our patients know that we are always there if they need us. We’ll then go in every day and see how they are doing. Sometimes patients just want somebody there to talk to – so we will sit with them and just listen. Other times they want to talk about support for their families. It varies – but we just do whatever we can for them.
There are lots of other services – e.g., council and community services which our patients can benefit from. We are there to help them get that support and take the stress away from them. I can see that what I do makes a difference and it’s a nice feeling to know you’ve been there for someone when they needed you.”